Chapter 3 - Choices (CitC)
"MARTIAAAAN!!!!! CHUBBA WANTS YOU!" Tubba stirred to the sound of Yoshi's horrible voice blaring through his internal ears. In surprise, he fell backwards, and off the bed, thus waking up Xavier, and from then on, all hell broke loose. "What's going on?!" Darius shouted as he got to his feet. "Are we under attack?" Gonzales called, grabbing his club. "Is Chubba dead?" Xavier asked, his face splitting into a massive smile. Yoshi, waiting impatiently, was looming over Tubba. "Chubba needs this Martian over here, Darius. No, we're not under attack, Gonzales, and Xavier, Chubba won't like the way you're smiling about him dying. Then again, all you ever do is try to kill him, so..." "Why do you need Tubba and not any of us?" Blizzerd inquired, and Yoshi shrugged. "Ask your great host. Frankly, I should become the host. Chubba spanks people too little." Tubba, in the time the others were arguing, had pulled on his day shell and taken a glance at the clock: 4 AM. Realizing that he had forgotten to eat his 3 AM hot dog for the second day straight, he grabbed it and was munching it down in quick, neat bites. Knowing his brother, Tubba knew he wouldn't get to eat for a couple hours. "So, Tubba X. Martian Clubba Flubba Dubstepubba, can we move already?" "Alright, alright, I'm moving." Tubba followed the dinosaur out the Blue Major League room door, relishing the fact he was finally able to leave the room. Due to his sheer weight, his footsteps created extreme shaking of the very unsafe lights, sending flickering light dancing all across the hallway. Once again, when Tubba and Yoshi entered the office, Yoshi melted off into the shadows, glaring at him distrustfully. Looking around for his brother, Tubba saw him sleeping in his bed. If it could be called that. Chubba, due to his sheer amount of riches, had customized his bed. It was a dark green-ish color, with cage bars surrounding the bed part of it, and a roof. There was also a TV. Chubba, currently, was asleep, in his bowtie and all, inside the cage. "Chubba didn't call me here, did he?" Tubba glanced over to Yoshi, expecting to see triumph lighting the dinosaur's gaze. Rather, what he saw chilled him to the bone. Rather than triumph, Yoshi's face was filled with shock, as if he hadn't expected Chubba to be sleeping still. Unsure whether Yoshi was trying to pull one of his "hilarious" jokes, or this was actually serious. "I talked to a green Clubba that sounded like Chubba, over the GBA..." "He's right." A new voice, cracked with age, made both of them jump. "Chubba didn't call you. I did." ''I've heard that voice before, back when I was younger! I thought I'd never hear it again! Why has he come here? '' Glancing to where the voice had issued from the darkness, he saw Clubbar, a green clubba, making his way out of the darkness. With a pang, he realized how old his father's old friend had gotten. He was twelve years older than Tubba's father, who would have been 58 or 59 had he still been alive, placing Clubbar at 70 or 71. The average Clubba lifespan was 75 years, so Clubbar was reaching the end of his days. His hair had changed color from white to gray, and his green snout was flecked with gray as well. "Clubbar!" Tubba cried, racing to meet his father's best friend. "How are you? How is Mycerinus? Is everything alright with the Clubba Kingdom? Why have come here? Have you been exiled? How did you get here? Did you have troubles in Rogueport? How did you trick Yo-" "Slow down, Tubba." Clubbar spoke, with his wheezing voice. "To answer all your questions: Fine. Not good. No. To get your help. No. The boat to Rogueport, then the blimp. No. Yoshi isn't exactly the brightest." "You need my help? Why?" Looking Tubba straight in the eye, his old mentor sighed, "Mycerinus is dead," referring to Tubba's cousin, the one that took the throne when Chubba had abdicated his kingship ten years ago. Mycerinus was a year or two younger than them. "And we need a new heir to the throne." "My life is here. You can't force me to ascend to the throne." Tubba thought it would be best to shut down that possibility as soon as possible. "I don't intend to. But we are lost. We need a king. I need you to come with me, for a short time. You are the only person who can save us." "But I can't!" Tubba cried, his voice raising to a shrill screech. "I can't face everyone after I murdered Bubba!"